


forget-me-not

by deepestfathoms



Category: The Prom (2020), The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Anxiety, Developing Friendships, F/F, Fluff, Forests, Gen, Jealousy, emma is a huge sweetie, testing out this friendship and i really like it, vulture culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29140305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestfathoms/pseuds/deepestfathoms
Summary: Emma hadn't been expecting to take a walk though the forest to look for animal bones, but she wasn't complaining.
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	forget-me-not

There was rustling from the nearby bushes. Emma stopped her pattern of strumming her guitar and feeding the local bluebirds to look over, expecting a deer or squirrel, but, instead, a head with scruffy red hair popped out of the underbrush.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. A few others in the park looked over, too, as did the birds. Emma was surprised that they didn’t dart off at the sudden appearance of the other, much louder, human, but she assumed it was because they didn’t want to give up the seeds she was giving them. 

“Hey, Winnie.”

“Oh, uhh, h-hey, Emma.”

Emma had known Winnie for quite a while now. She was a whole two years below her, but she was in a lot of advanced classes and was also the cheer manager, so she saw her often, though they didn’t really talk, even when she went out with her and Alyssa and their friends. Nobody seemed to talk to Winnie, not unless they wanted something from her. It made Emma sort of sad in a way. Everyone had someone, yet it seemed like Winnie had nobody at all.

“Whatcha doing?” Emma asked, smiling. She didn’t want to come off as judgemental, as she knew how anxious Winnie could be. She had seen her shut down several times because of some joking comment Kaylee would make.

“Umm…” Winnie looked around the bushes she was standing in. “Swimming?”

Emma laughed. Winnie’s cheeks turned red.

“How’s the water, then? I didn’t think it was swimming season!”

Winnie blinked at her, as if she had been expecting a different answer, one that would hurt her. Then, she allowed herself to giggle as she said, “It’s nice, surprisingly.” She looked down again, then showed Emma her hands, which held several small bones and feathers. “I’m looking for things.”

Now Emma was interested. She put her guitar in its case and dumped the rest of the bird seeds in the grass for the bluebirds, then stood up. Winnie looked a little surprised when she walked over to her, but didn’t protest. In fact, she looked a little honored to have her attention.

“Like…bones?” Emma asked, looking at her.

“Bones, feathers, antlers, fur,” Winnie shrugged. “Anything I can find.” She paused for a moment, then shuffled her feet and asked, “Wanna help? I-if you want! You don’t have to! I understand if you don’t want to. It’s kinda weird!”

“No, it’s okay!” Emma quickly assured her when she noticed that she was getting nervous. “I think that would be really fun.”

Winnie perked up. It seemed she hadn’t been expecting for Emma to accept her offer, which also made Emma a little sad. 

“Oh! Okay!” Winnie pushed back a branch with her arm and stepped to the side. “Come on in! The water’s fine!”

Emma laughed. “Nice one.”

Stepping into the forest was like stepping into a cauldron of thick green soup. In every direction, yellow birches and bigtooth aspens stretched from the soft, leave-strewn dirt, dotted here and there with a few eastern red cedars and white pines. It smelled like wet mulch, which made sense given the recent rainfall. Winnie grinned at her, then tucked the bones and feathers in her hands into the satchel she had and stepped forward, crunching over twigs and branches. 

“Isn’t it pretty?” Winnie glanced back at her.

“It is,” Emma answered her honestly because it  _ was.  _ She had truly underestimated the power of nature, as going out into the forest wasn’t exactly a normal occurrence for her. Maybe she would have to make it a routine because it was beautiful in here. “You come out here a lot?”

Winnie nodded. “I do. It’s really relaxing. And anything is better than my house.”

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. What did that mean?

“Look!” Winnie suddenly said, pointing at a tree. “That’s a hemlock! Not the poisonous kind, though. So it’s kinda boring.”

Emma squinted at it. “It looks like a pine to me.”

Winnie shook her head. “Nope! But they’re both evergreens so they kinda look similar. Come on!” She passed the alleged hemlock and Emma followed her.

“You know a lot about trees, huh?” Emma said.

Winnie blushed. “Yeah…”

“Hey, that’s not a bad thing!” Emma assured her. “It’s pretty cool.”

“Really?” Winnie looked up at her, very poorly hiding her surprise. Maybe she wasn’t even trying.

“Yeah!” Emma nodded. “I mean, not everyone can do that, you know.”

Winnie ducked her head with a shy smile. “Thank you.” And then, a moment later, she perked up and bounded towards a tree stump that was covered in thorns. “Emma! Emma, come here! Look!”

Emma laughed lightly and hurried over. 

“This is the devil’s walking stick,” Winnie told her.

“I can see why,” Emma said, looking at the sharp thorns bristled across the trunk.

“This one is poisonous,” Winnie went on. “The berries are, at least. But deer LOVE them.”

Emma nodded. Winnie gave her another moment to look at the tree before moving deeper into the forest.

“So, what are we looking for exactly?” Emma asked, falling into step beside Winnie.

“Mainly bones or teeth,” Winnie answered. “But feathers, antlers, and fur works, too.”

“Teeth?” Emma raised an eyebrow.

Winnie nodded. “Mhm! I have a whole jar of animal teeth back at home. My parents and siblings think it’s creepy, but I think it’s cool. Especially the fangs! They’re so different from ours. I just like looking at them.” She then glanced at Emma and her cheeks went red. “Oh. Now I see what my family was talking about. Sorry.”

Emma frowned. It seemed like Winnie was self-conscious about every little thing she did. Everyone was anxious over something, but with Winnie, it turned into a borderline smothering fear. 

“Hey, no, it’s okay,” Emma set a hand on her shoulder. “We all have our hobbies.”

Winnie glanced up at her, then nodded, but didn’t seem very convinced. She shook her head and continued walking.

As they went deeper into the forest, the more nature grew around them. Overhead, canopies were formed from thickets of cherrybark oak and black willow trees that competed with each other by hoarding sections of land with their massive roots. What seemed to be an old walking path of smooth stones wound loosely through the trees, delving deep into a tunnel-like structure that was made of interlocking branches and brambles. Bright red trumpet creepers burst from the lush greenery inside of the verdant underpass, and Emma couldn’t help but be amazed at how gorgeous it was when she and Winnie walked through it.

“Wow,” Emma said aloud, looking all around her. The intricate braiding of vines and bending branches above her was so thick that barely any sunlight came in at all, just a few spots of orange and gold from the setting sun. Trumpet honeysuckles and Virginia bluebells dangled from the green ceiling like hanging light fixtures, filling the space with the wonderful aroma of flowers. 

“I know right,” Winnie said, staring in wonder at the tunnel. She ran her hand along the sides of it, where trees and thick crossvines formed the walls that held the structure together. A few vasevines were sticking out from the tangle, and she delicately brushed their purple-white petals with her fingertips. 

“I should bring Alyssa here,” Emma said. “She’d love it. Do you think a picnic would be nice? The blanket and basket, some pink lemonade, sandwiches, cookies, maybe one of those trays with vegetables and cheese and meats, a bluetooth speaker to play music, or maybe we’ll just listen to the sounds of the forest…” 

She couldn’t help but smile dreamily at the thought of being out here with Alyssa. Sitting inside the grove with lanterns, listening to the sounds of birds and swishing leaves while eating the food they packed, maybe weaving flower crowns for each other and laughing about how lopsided and loose they were, wrapped in each other’s arms, filled with each other’s love, hiding away from the world that frequently wanted to bring them to their knees… It filled her with a giddy sensation just fantasizing about it.

She looked over at Winnie and noticed that she was clenching one of her fists, crushing the leatherflower she had been touching between her fingers. There was what seemed like anger on her face, something that didn’t look right on her soft, lamb-like features. But there was something else there, too, something deeper…

Was that…jealousy?

“Winnie?” Emma called out, her eyebrows furrowed.

Winnie seemed to snap out of whatever trance that had her in its vice. She blinked her bright grey eyes several times, then looked down at the poor flower she was crushing. She released it and wiped her hand on her pants.

“Sorry.” She said quickly. “That, umm, sounds like a great idea. I’m sure Alyssa will…really love it.”

Yup, that was definitely jealousy. Emma didn’t know why else Winnie would have said those last few words through her teeth like she did. But why was Winnie jealous? What was there to be jealous over? Did she have a crush on her or Alyssa or something? Not that she would blame her if it was over Alyssa. Alyssa was  _ very  _ pretty, but she would just have to get over it because Emma had already called dibs on her.

“Let’s keep going,” Winnie spoke up again. “We haven’t found a single bone yet.” She hurried on ahead.

Emma stayed behind for a moment, thoroughly confused and curious. She looked to the trumpet creepers and honeysuckles as if expecting them to spew out answers, then followed after the redhead. 

There was a clearing on the other side of the tunnel, where a stream and creek were wound around a small hill. Black willows bordered the area, creating a sort of barrier from the copse and the rest of the forest with its curtain of weeping vines. White troutlilies and dutchman’s breeches grew along the edge of the green-blue creek, and a small green frog ogled at Emma from within their stems when she passed by. On top of the hill, Winnie stood beneath a huge flowering dogwood that was bursting with pure white flowers. She was examining something in her hand.

“Hey, Winnie,” Emma said while walking up to her.

Winnie turned to her, and Emma reached up and shook one of the lower branches in her each. A heavy rain of flowers came pouring down and Winnie squeaked, jumping back slightly. When she looked back up, her red hair was dappled with white petals. A perfectly-placed beam of dusky sunlight shined through the dogwood branches onto her at the same time, sending her eyes aglow with an unreal silver and further highlighting how sweet she looked.

“Hey!” Winnie yelped.

Emma laughed. “Sorry, I had to! You’re rocking the flower aesthetic, though.”

Winnie blinked and reached up to touch one of the petals on her head, then blushed. “Thanks.” She said shyly.

“Whatcha got there?” Emma nodded at the thing in her hands. “Find something?” “Oh, yeah!” Winnie held it up, and Emma realized it was a rib cage. A small one, but still a rib cage. “Ta-daa!”

Emma looked at it. The previous white bone was slathered in mud, making it quite dirty. The top three ribs were still locked together, but the others were either broken, chipped, or missing entirely. 

“What is it?” Emma asked. “The animal, I mean. I know it’s a rib cage. Obviously.”

Winnie peered closely at the rib cage. “I think it’s a coyote.” She said, rubbing her thumbs against the vertebral column. “‘Cause there’re thirteen pairs of ribs and canines have thirteen.”

“Oooo,” Emma said in interest. “That’s cool that you can memorize that.”

Winnie smiled. “I try.” She carefully tucked the rib cage into her satchel, then looked around. “It’s so peaceful.”

Emma nodded. “It is.”

“I wish I could stay out here forever,” Winnie said.

“Your parents would get worried, you know,” Emma pointed out.

“They’d be happy.” Winnie said. 

“Don’t say that,” Emma said, slightly frustrated. “I would kill to have my parents take me back. Be happy that you have some that still want you.”

Winnie wrinkled her nose. Now she was starting to look a little frustrated, too. Like the anger and envy, it didn’t go well with her soft features.

“I’m sorry you got thrown out, Emma, I am, but don’t tell me how to feel about my family,” Winnie said. “I think I would know them better than you do. So know it’s the truth when I say they would be happy and don’t argue about it.”   
Something about her tone of voice made Emma feel slightly intimidated. Although being yelled at was much, much worse, the anger Winnie spoke with was cold and low, like the howling of wind against a glacier. Emma couldn’t describe what about it made her feel the way she did, she just  _ did.  _

“Alright.” Emma said. “I’m sorry.”

Winnie’s shoulder relaxed. “It’s okay.”

The two of them stood in silence for a moment. Emma rolled one of her shoulders, now slightly regretting her decision to bring her guitar. It weighed heavily against her back, but she knew it would have been stolen if she had left it at the park bench. In front of them, a red-winged blackbird swooped down from the sky and fluttered onto one of the black willow branches. 

“Want to keep going?” Winnie looked up at her for approval,  and Emma could see it now: Winnie wasn’t just shy and anxious and socially awkward, she was fragile, too--too fragile for the things she’d been through.

“Yeah,” Emma said.

Winnie nodded and walked down the hill. Emma followed.

They passed through the curtains of willow and back out into the forest. Shadows were beginning to stretch across the ground the further the sun set, and rays of orange and red bled through the canopy of trees like waves of blood. Emma had to squint at some point to avoid getting blinded and it made Winnie giggle softly. When her vision returned, she noticed something on the ground and picked it up.

“Hey, Winnie,” She said. “Come here.”

Winnie obeyed, and Emma put the barn owl feather she found behind her ear.

“There!” Emma beamed. “Now you have the flower AND the feather aesthetic!” The lingering white dogwood petals and now the caramel-grey feather really did go well with Winnie’s red hair.

For a moment, Winnie just looked up at her, wide-eyed. Then, she delicately touched the feather and blushed so hard her face nearly blended in with her hair.

“Th-thank you,” She squeaked out, as if some feather Emma found on the ground was the greatest gift anyone had ever given to her.

“No problem,” Emma smiled. “I thought you would like it.”

“I-I do,” Winnie stammered slightly, still blushing.

“Come on,” Emma nudged her. “Let’s get a little more walking in before it gets too dark.”

They continued their journey, passing through marginal shield ferns and walking under green hawthorns and stepping around blue wild indigoes. When the sun had set too much, they turned around and began walking back, chatting amongst each other as they went. This chatting was then broken by Winnie gasping out loud.

“What? What?” Emma jumped, thinking something was wrong.

“Emma, LOOK!” Winnie ran over to a small patch of ferns. Confused, Emma followed, and it was only when she was up close that she noticed the skull on the ground.

The deer skull was completely, not a crack or break across its rough white surface. It boasted a rack of eight point antlers, and the bone was swathed in ivy and sprouting white and lavender morning glories. One flower in particular was growing right out of the empty eye socket like a natural replacement for an eyeball. Winnie delicately picked it up, being careful not to rip off any of the vines or flowers adorning it, and held it up with her jaw hanging open.

“It’s a whole one, Emma! Do you see? It’s got its antlers and everything!” Winnie said, joy leaking into her voice.

“I do see,” Emma said, looking down at the skull. “That’s so cool, Winnie! It’s really pretty!”

“Isn’t it?” Winnie said excitedly. She stood up, still looking down at the skull. “I can’t believe I almost missed it. This is such a good find! It’s gonna look great on my shelf!”

Winnie babbled about the skull and her other vulture culture treasures on the walk back to the park, and Emma listened to her with a smile on her face the entire time. When they exited the forest, Emma saw Alyssa’s car waiting for her in the nearby parking lot, where her girlfriend was waving to her. She waved back.

“I gotta get going,” Emma said to Winnie, who was hugging the skull against her chest. “I had a really good time hanging out with you, Winnie.”   
Winnie looked surprised. “Really?”

“Yes, really, you big silly!” Emma smiled at her. “Maybe we can do this again sometime?”   
Winnie’s eyes lit up like stars. “Y-yeah! I’d really like that!”

“I’m glad,” Emma said. “Bye, Winnie. See you later!” She waved, then turned and walked to Alyssa.

However, a voice called out to her and made her stop.

“Emma?”

Emma looked back at Winnie. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for not laughing at me. I’m sure Alyssa will love it when you bring her to the tunnel.”


End file.
